Wild About the City &raquo; Exploring nature in the urban environment

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Update on the Ashbridge’s Bay swans, Penny and Tycho

Posted in Waterfowl

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our much-loved local swan pair, Penny and Tycho, have set up housekeeping this spring in a new location, moving their nest from the little point across from the boardwalk where Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club has its picnic tables to a spot in the Coatsworth Cut.

The two locations couldn’t be more different.

Their old nest was is a high-traffic area. All the boats coming in and out via the inner bay (everything from police boats to giant yachts to little runabouts) passed by their highly visible nest. Penny and Tycho built their nest on this slight promontory (and guarded by a handful of black-crowned night herons) for at least the past seven years. Before that, I don’t know. If someone has any knowledge of where the Ashbridge’s Bay swans were living prior to 2004, I’d love to hear about it.

Now, though, P and T’s nest is impossible to see, hidden as it is in the Coatsworth Cut. It could be safer for them and their cygnets here, however, as there is no access to their new home by land — for people, that is. This might stop predation by big off-leash dogs, but won’t stop many other predators from claiming victims.

It will be interesting to see how many cygnets are born this spring, and how many of them survive until the end of the summer compared to previous seasons. For at least the past three years, there have been eight cygnets born, with three surviving until the fall.

With eggs in their nest, we’re not seeing P and T out cruising the bay together like we do other times of the year. Makes sense — one of them is always on their nest.

A couple of evenings ago I was down at the beach at sunset, wondering if I would see either of our swans. Guess it was Penny’s turn doing the parental bit, as it was Tycho who glided by to say hello. We had a little visit, then he sailed off back across the bay. Maybe he was heading home for the night.

Posted in Waterfowl

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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Ah spring, when tamaracks produce tiny — pineapples?

Posted in Trees

Tamaracks, one of our land’s most beautiful native trees, are really very special creatures. They’re deciduous conifers.

Huh? Didn’t we learn in grade school that there were two kinds of trees — deciduous ones like oak, maple and birch, and evergreens like pine, spruce and fir? The first category, of course, are known for losing their leaves every fall after the glorious display of colour they put on. The second hang on to their leaves — needles, actually — all year round. In fact, we mostly think of conifers, the trees that bear cones, as being one and the same as evergreens.

That’s usually tree, but not always. For the trees we call tamaracks (Larix laricina) are members of the larch family that bear cones, yet are deciduous.

After the needles turn a glowing amber in the fall, they all fall relatively quickly in a golden shower.

In spring, tamaracks burst forth with hundreds, thousands, of tiny new cones that look for all the world like . . . lime green pineapples! (See above photo if you doubt this description). After a few weeks, these tiny fruiting bodies turn fuschia, and eventually grow into structures that are more readily identifiable as cones.

For me, the limey intensity of new tamarack cones is one of the surest, most beautiful markers of spring. And we’re blessed to have dozens of these beautiful-in-all-seasons trees at our local park.

Posted in Trees

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Sunday, April 25, 2010

Tree swallows at Col. Sam Smith Park

Posted in Songbirds

How delightful that the tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) at Col. Sam Smith Park don’t seem to mind posing for the camera. Maybe it’s just because they are used to all the foot traffic along the paths by the water, and the constant tramp tramp of birders out with their Zeiss and Swarovski binoculars, and the shooters out with their ultra-long lenses.

Whatever the explanation, I was pleased that this bright bird, (a male if I’m reading my bird guides correctly — if I’m wrong, please let me know!) stared me down, just daring me to take his picture up close. He had definite business in this nesting box, though, and eventually disappeared into it. Not sure if he and his partner would still be construcing a nest inside it, or if this pair’s eggs had already been laid.

Hope to make a return trip to this western waterfront park soon to get an update on all its nesting birds.

So much to see in spring time! So little time to take it all in. . .

Posted in Songbirds

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